Ministry demonstrators on campus causes students to get hot headed

Sam Houston State University was the host to a group of fiery religious demonstrators Monday when a traveling ministry brought several pastors and members to speak to students.

The Consuming Fire Campus Ministries, primarily led by Brother Matthew Bourgault condemned any and all students crossing their path to Hell.

Both Bourgault, and James Persinger, son of another pastor said they are on campus to spread the word in their own way.

“We are here to preach the gospel and to call sinners to repent,” Bourgault said.

They spent majority of the afternoon shouting their message at any passerby who would or would not stop to listen. Some students were visibly angered as Bourgault and the rest of his disciples shouted slurs and held signs attacking everyone from “Sports Nuts [and] Mormons” to “Child Molesting Homosexuals.”
The group is a self-proclaimed organized sect of Pentecostal pastors and missionaries who travel across the United States spreading the word of their interpretation of the Bible through the practice of street preaching.

This practice is similar to the style Brother Jed (Smock) of the Campus Ministries and the Bulldog Ministries have, each of which are Evangelical churches who frequent the SHSU campus.

Bourgault said the SHSU student body doesn’t live up to the “true Christian” standard.

”The bible says light, the word of God, the spirit of God is coming to the world, and the men love darkness,” Bourgault said. “Sam Houston State for the most part, not all of them just the majority, love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”
Criminal justice student Khayt, who didn’t want to reveal her last name due to the sensitive nature of the topic, went to listen to the group speak but found herself on the offensive.

“I finally couldn’t let him lie anymore and had to speak up,” Khayt said. “The first time was when he [Bourgault] said he was perfect. When you’re a true Christian and someone says something that is untrue, your [initial response] is ‘hey that’s not true’ otherwise you’re going to be giving people the wrong idea.”
This is not the first time the Consuming Fire Ministry or Bourgault have incited a wave of controversy among the SHSU student, he first paid the campus a visit in 2005 preaching his message of “True Christianity.”

Connor Hyde contributed to this report.